|
|
| Mr. Brooks |
 Currently viewing: Mr. Brooks Compare prices for Mr. Brooks Affiliate Program |
| Mr. Brooks |
Beyond Mr. Brooks
Stills from Mr. Brooks
Average Rating:
 Rating: - An interesting character study of a serial killer could have been betterWe find in the opening moments of Mr. Brooks that Kevin Costner's title character is a serial killer. We also find out that he is a devoted husband and father, a dedicated community philanthropist, and terrified at the prospect that he will be exposed as a killer. His character is the best thing in the movie, even if it makes the audience uncomfortable that you are pushed into identifying with a murderer. The most interesting thing about the writing is that a second character, played by William Hurt, is created only to represent that part of Mr. Brooks that is compelled to do bad things. It's tricky and as you watch you have to accept that Brooks is "talking" to "Marshall" (sometimes in extended sequences) while other characters in the room not only don't see "Marshall", but don't notice that Mr. Brooks is taking time off from his conversation with a "real" character to dialogue his inner demon. Mr. Brooks is good at being a serial killer, choosing his victims so carefully and leaving no condemning evidence behind that the police are not sniffing his trail. He's more careful and anal than "Dexter". (Perhaps more narrative tension would have been generated if the police WERE closer to catching him.) He hasn't killed for two years when the movie opens. He attends AA meetings trying to shed his addiction to murder. ("Marshall" sarcastically chides him that he is a hypocrite in the sense that he only says that he is an "addict" and not "I killed two people last night".) ... Read More Rating:  - I nice change in the genre.This IS Kostner's best performance. And, the serial killer thriller has a fresh approach with some stable tried and true twists. I'm not actually a fan of this genre and I rented it because nothing else was good at Red Box. I'm glad I did. Might even buy it when it hits the 5 dollar bin. Rating: - Serial murder as an intellectual pursuitThis is an interesting an intelligent movie about a man's obsession--addiction--for the thrill of taking human life. Mr. Brooks, although prominent and successful, is otherwise an ordinary Joe. Maybe a little too ordinary. He is efficient, loves his family and is a mild-mannered, low keyed guy. Unfortunately, he has an alterego in the form of a man, more forward and assertive than Brooks, constantly giving him dangerous advice. His advice is to give into his impulses, track down people and kill them in cold-blood. Brooks does it, too, swearing each will be his last. He doesn't enjoy it, he tells his alterego, but justifies it as an addiction. Unfortunately, he is identified at the scene of one of his kills by a young voyeur. This man, quite unexpectedly, blackmails Brooks into taking him along on a thrill-kill. Brooks toys with the blackmailer, taking him along to scope things out and track people. The younger man is frustrated. He wants it now! Brooks, by now, fearing the humiliation of discovery is considering the possibility of suicide...maybe the young guy will help him out. As I said, it's a good movie but it's not fast paced. Also, as an exposition of serial homicide it is not characteristic. Almost all of these guys are serial sexual psychopaths. They sexually abuse and torture their victims before they torture them. Brooks doesn't. I think this is cinematically explainable. A graphic film of the 'average' serial sexual psychopath would ... Read More Rating: - Disturbing...intriguing...By day Mr. Brooks is a philanthropic businessman, loving husband, and doting father. By night he is a serial killer who is "addicted" to killing. He is spurred on in his killing by a voice inside of him who is personified by William Hurt. In the past Kevin Costner has been over-rated in some of his movie roles, but this time he shows some real acting skill and succeeds in creating the "flat affect" that is so often part of a psychopathic personality. As has been pointed out, the plot is full of holes big enough to drive a tank through, but certainly the movie keeps your attention and has some very intriguing moments. Rating: - Interesting and entertaining, but with serious flaws.I don't have a problem with suspending disbelief for a film and the inplausible situations in this film are no exception. Overall, Mr. Brooks is a pretty good movie, though I do have two major reservations. The first is a subplot involving an escaped murderer named Meeks who, with his psychotic girlfriend, make it their mission to exact revenge on Detective Atwood (Demi Moore). The problem here is that this subplot never even intersects the main story in an integral way. It seemed an excuse to throw two over-the-top action sequences into a movie that otherwise would (and should) have none. This subplot is eventually forced to resolution with the main story in off-screen actions made by the titular character (for no clear reason aside from his admiration for Atwood) and it could have been entirely edited out of the film (for want of about 7 minutes of footage) and none would have been the wiser. If they had done this, I would have given the movie 4 stars. The second problem I have with this movie is the way they handle the cemetery scene. I'm sure the writers thought it was clever to have Brooks play with "Smith" a while, but the sequence felt cheesy and the drama was forced. The handling of this scene, along with the inclusion of the final "dream-sequence" (dream-sequences are cop-outs with very few exceptions) detracted from my sense of satisfaction at having watched this movie. The omenous atmosphere around Brooks' daughter was already established and palpable, making the ... Read More Browse for similar items by category:
|
| More Products |
| Popular Products |
| Digital SLR Cameras, LifeDrive PDA, Casio Exilim Camera, Tag Heuer Watch |
